Anyone with a low BMI (30-33) had sleeve surgery or will be?

[lowbmi65 65]

Hi all. Done 10 hours ago. No pain but bad nausea. Thanks all for your kind words. Xx

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[LowBMISleever 381]

Nausea goes away pretty quickly! Walk, sip, walk, sip!!

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[lowbmi65 65]

Day 6 and doing well. No pain and getting liquids in. A bit of acid reflux and I'm missing solids and hate the nasty Protein shakes. Not sure I can stomach another.

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[OzRoo 1,492]

Can you have broth and Soups such as pumpkin, mushroom (with no bits) ? I'm not suggesting Tomato Soup as it can be acidic.

The warmth and the savoury taste can break the monotony of the sweet and cold shakes.< /p>

[lowbmi65 65]

@@OzRoo I am having a broth with soy Protein in it but it's not y thing. Please tell me we don't need to do the fake Protein thing forever ? When I move to soft food can I switch it for cottage cheese or egg ?

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Edited October 10, 2016 by lowbmi65

[OzRoo 1,492]

@@lowbmi65

When on Soft/Mushy I ate Chobani yoghurt, cream and cottage cheese, poached salmon, minced chicken/turkey, minced lamb/veal (beef did not agree with me), poached eggs. Also tinned sardines and salmon, often mixed with cottage cheese.< /p>

I still add Protein Powder to my yoghurt with grated apple, vanilla essence and cinnamon for Breakfast, and this tastes really nice.

These are high Protein foods, so perhaps you won't need more Protein powder.

I add it to my morning yoghurt to boost my protein intake, and the one I have tastes great in yoghurt.

[Angelica Marti 10]

@@hats123 mine is also 30-31 and I'm having my first appointment with the doctor on February.

Some people were kinda upset of me posting my pictures in here but was not my intention to make people upset

Could you please let me know how are you now?

Thanks!

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[JKC2016 82]

I'm BMI 31 and will have surgery 1/17/17 in Mexico with Dr. Fernando García. I know 5 people who went to him with great experiences. I was 30 BMI and worried I'd drop some pounds in the no liquids prior to surgery so I've let my weight drift up to 31 BMI. First time in my life I intentionally gained, very weird experience. I'm eager to focus on healthy living, but can't lose any weight prior to surgery. There is no pre-op diet, aside from 24 hours pre-surgery fasting. Three more weeks. In the meantime I'm getting good exercise, starting therapy, and acquiring tools for easy Portion Control.

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[hats123 67]

Hi everyone!

@@Angelica Marti, sorry for the belated response -- holidays & I'm not around here much anymore.

I'm doing well! The one area I really haven't stepped up my game on is exercise -- that's (obviously) totally on me, and I hope that I'm able to restructure my days and approach things differently in this next phase because I know it'll make all the difference, in so many ways. I am in sort of the final major stretch of losing, and I know that exercise will be a crucial part of that -- as well as a key part of maintaining.

I weighed 183 at my consult on July 28 (surgery was August 11; my surgery day weigh-in was artificially low on a hospital scale that was, I believe, poorly calibrated, so I don't count it). I weigh 130 now, so I've lost 53 pounds. I saw a 129 on Christmas morning and was over the moon, but I indulged a LOT in the last few days and it popped back up. It's silly, but back in November I set a mini-goal of getting into the 120s by Jan 1. I hope I didn't do too much damage over the last few days and that I'm able to get back there -- again, I know it's arbitrary but it makes a mental difference to me, and each set of ten that I enter gives me a sense of accomplishment.

Right now I am 5 pounds above my original goal weight of 125. I set that goal weight about 7 pounds higher than my actual goal weight -- that is, the weight that I was for many years before this gain started. I was worried at the beginning that if I set a goal of getting back to that weight (118ish), I might be setting myself up for failure and disappointment. I'm older now, I don't know how my body has changed...so I set a goal that I knew I'd feel okay at, if not totally "the old me." Now that most of the weight has come off, and I feel in control -- even when I slip up, like over Christmas, I still feel like it's my decision, and one I can back off from -- I feel like of course I can lose 10 or 12 more pounds if I put my mind and body to it. (BIG IF!!!). I have a small frame, and small increments on the scale mean major differences in my size -- I can't get into any of my "old weight" clothes yet, including those I could get into easily when I was 10 pounds lighter. Everyone's body is different. I'd love to get back into some of those, especially my work clothes.

A good friend of mine is going to be sleeved on Jan 5; she has about 90-100 lbs to lose, and we've been talking a lot about pre-op and post-op. I've been surprised to realize how far away that feels to me now, and how I really rarely think about my sleeve anymore. There are things I do differently now, like take smaller portions and try to aim for Protein. In my experience, the bad-for-me choices I've made have always, without exception, been on days when I failed to obey the "protein first; stay hydrated" rule(s). Always. If I focus on Protein, which is not hard to do, and I keep drinking that Water or Powerade zero or whatever it is, I'm not going to be interested in overeating later. But if I forget to eat or drink during the day, my body goes into an unhealthy craving mode later. So I definitely recommend sticking to the basic principles about protein. But those general limitations that are such a big deal in the beginning -- things you can't eat at all, things you can't eat comfortably, etc etc etc...that's just gone, and I don't think about it. I had these big worries about how I would have to think so much about food all the time for the rest of my life and worry about what would work and what wouldnt...it just hasn't been the case for me.

The two most dramatic changes for me, post-sleeve, have been

1) a sense of control over what I put in my body and, therefore, whether I lose or maintain or gain back some weight. Before my surgery I just felt...like I was on this runaway train and was hopeless about it. I now feel like sure, I'm far from perfect, but it's within my control and when I make silly food choices, it doesn't mean The End.

2) My approach to the world around me. For so long, when I was gaining and when I was at my heaviest, I just didn't see anyone I didn't have to see. I was uncomfortable, physically, moving around, and I also hated the reactions I got from people who hadn't seen me awhile. Many people asked if I was sick, if I had been tested for serious diseases (bc I'd gained so much), and others just looked at me with shock. I realize that's on them, not on me, but I HATED it. Combined with my physical discomfort, it led to extreme isolation, both personally and professionally, and that was terrible. THAT has completely gone away. Sure I'm not at my ideal weight, but obviously at this weight I have no problem being seen, interacting professionally, going to social things when I feel like it (I am not terribly social to begin with, but it was a drastic, drastic difference, those years I was socially avoidant).

For those reasons, for me the sleeve has been a miracle. I absolutely see how people "cheat the sleeve" by grazing, which will allow you to eat as many calories as you want over the course of the day. It's not magic. But as people here say all the time, it's such a powerful tool. There is *no way* I otherwise would have lost 50+ pounds in 4.5 months (since surgery date) or 5 months (to the day! since my consult date). I'm eager to focus again after a few silly holiday eating days, and to push through these 10-12 pounds. Then, the real project will begin: maintaining. That's the long haul, and that's something I can't speak to yet. But since it's such a strong weight loss tool, I'm hopeful that it will provide the same kind of strength in the maintenance phases. I know there will be ups and downs -- but I just don't know yet what those will be.

About judgment and criticism: I just deleted a VERY long section on this issue. But really, it's been said many times before and I'll say it again -- I really dislike the judgment people get about their weight and how to handle it, especially on a site like this, where we all have struggles and where our weight has affected our lives to a degree where we are either contemplating or have had surgery to help deal with it. I don't like trendy phrases like "safe space," but really, this should be one. I wish people wouldn't criticize people's reasons for wanting or needing these surgeries. And that for people who DO judge, when they see threads that clearly state "for low BMI" or "for those with 50 pounds to lose" or whatever, they just stay away and let the people who can support each other continue to do so -- regardless of the size or BMI or stage of the journey those supportive posters may be on at that time.

Good luck to everyone here!

[Angelica Marti 10]

@@hats123 I really thank you for you detailed answer, know all this information helped me a lot

And I really hope you can go on improving until join your goal and hopefully do it feeling peace and quiet.

Let's see what my doctor says

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[Seastars 175]

@@hats123, congrats on your progress! I agree with your summary of life 5 to 6 months post-sleeve: you just don't think about it (or food or dieting or self-loathing or obsessive exercise).

For me, eating 4 good Protein "doses" per day and fitting in all my Vitamins (morning and afternoon Multivitamin with iron; then 3 500g Calcium doses spread through the day) is now habit. Weight comes off slowly now - I just got off a long stall - but I am still losing. I'm back to all my old clothes and feel like "me" again. Such a relief.

[charlies.angel 17]

I have struggled with my weight for over 25 years. At 4'10" with a BMI of 37, I have about 80 pounds to lose and keep off to be healthy. I could probably lose half of it, but I'd have to starve myself. It just doesn't come off. Then it creeps back on. I can not maintain the goal weight. That's where this surgery will really help me long term, with maintenance. This is my last resort after years of yo yo dieting with poor results.

[charlies.angel 17]

PS- everyone's journey is is different. I joined this group for support, never even thinking that I would be frowned upon bc of my lower than 40 BMI. I really hope that is not the case.

[trenth 48]

My surgery date is Jan 13th. BMI 33. Have gained 50 pounds in two years. I am getting the sleeve because it is a game changer period. Friend at work got the sleeve in Aug and is down 80 pounds. I'm sick of yoyo dieting and frankly I don't care who cares. Some know I am getting sleeved, most don't. Congrats to all the low BMIers who want to prevent becoming a 35 plus BMI. I am getting my sleeve done by Dr. Jose Rodriguez in Juarez. The same Dr who did my friends sleeve.

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[Angelica Marti 10]

@@trenth I totally understand you

I'm also a yoyo dieter and I decide to finish with this no ending situation

Wish you the best of luck!

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